Finding Peace
by Emperor's Sister
Summary: ...or Why Babysitting Is Harder Than You'd Think. Little Tabitha escapes from her sitters and ends up back at Hogwarts when her parents were there, one as a student and the other her cranky professor. What kind of impact will she have on her poor unsuspec


Finding Peace  
Or  
Why Babysitting Is Harder Than You'd Think  
  
  
The child gurgled mischievously on the store counter as her mother rattled off important   
rules to the crimson haired sitters. She knew it was going to be a fun day, since Mommy was letting   
her spend time with the funny uncles. They owned a fabulous shop, filled with funny little moving things  
she could play with, though mommy and daddy grumbled and squeaked whenever she did.  
  
The toddler was rather quick for her tender age. True her vocabulary was quite limited,  
but she already knew how to run on her wiggly two legs, and what things were okay to try to eat   
and what things were okay to only pretend you wanted to eat. She was also quite magically  
talented, and was well versed in the fine arts of animal dressing and making mischief.  
  
The girl was promptly kissed by her doting parent, signaling her   
ready-some-what-to-depart-ness. With a final stern glance at her two sitter and a "Fred,  
George, if anything happens my baby you'll PAY!" her mother finally left with her mate,   
for their trip.  
  
+  
  
Fred and George Weasly sighed audibly as their long-time friend left, leaving   
her baby in their care. "I swear George," his twin commented, "Hermione got right scary   
since she became a mom."  
  
"True." George nodded before smiling foolishly at their young charge, "but at  
least we have three days with the cute little imp here."  
  
Hermione had known Fred and George from her school days at Hogwarts  
School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. She was close friends with the twins' younger siblings,  
Ron and Ginny Weasly, as well as the twins themselves. It wasn't too long after her graduation  
that she married and gave birth to her first child, a bubbly baby girl, named Tabitha. Little   
Tabitha had curly black locks, and sparkly gingerbread eyes. At the tender age of two, she   
managed to learn her ABC's, though pronouncing them was all-together a different story,   
and how to run her both her loving parents ragged. This, plus the reason that no one else   
was available, was why Hermione was leaving her child in the care of the Weasly twins   
whilst she and her husband had a nice, peaceful, mini vacation.  
  
Fred bent down and joined in the fun, making Tabitha giggle and applaud their   
antics. "Our little Tabby is good for business." He grinned, "though cute as she is, we'd best  
put a sign on her so no-one tries to buy the tyke or something." The duo nodded and wrote   
up a quick sign, magically taping it to her person. Satisfied, they opened 'Wizard Weasly Wheezes'   
and attended to their customers, smiling whenever someone read Tabitha's sign out loud.  
  
Tabitha was quite bright. Many swore she'd grow into a brilliant girl, just like her   
mother. Unfortunately, she also seemed to have picked up many naughty habits from her various   
uncles as well. So it was, as soon as Tabitha saw that her sitters were much too busy with other  
people that she made her move. Quickly, she scampered off the counter and over to the corner,   
where the most interesting things were kept.  
  
One particular object caught her eye and she made a grab for it. 'It' though decided  
it didn't want to be man-handled by the child and leaped out of its box, bounced off her head   
and onto the floor behind her. Determined, more than ever now, to capture her prey, Tabby turned  
and dashed after the fleeing object. Around and about the store, their merry chase went, the   
owners not paying them much mind. No, their romp went un-noticed, even when through the   
opening door, did the two disappear outside.  
  
Laughing gaily, Tabitha chased the amusing trick toy, without a care as to where it   
was leading her. So when it leaped through a strange little passage in the middle of nowhere  
and vanished, she simply followed its lead, and vanished too.  
  
+  
  
Feeling dizzy and a little misplaced, Tabitha looked around in an attempt to orient   
herself. She figured she was in the old shrieking shack, though it didn't seem to be too old.   
Deciding it would probably be best if she found her mother or father, as she was becoming   
rather hungry, she toddled herself along, in search of the way out.  
  
After much wandering, and having finally caught the jumping thing, she came upon   
the passage. Figuring it was good enough, she raced down the dark hall, pretending she was   
racing on her uncle's broom. Reaching the exit, she smacked down on the appropriate button,   
and sped away from the stilled whomping willow's reach. That accomplished, she entered the   
school in hopes of finding her family, and hopefully some lunch.  
  
+  
  
Mrs. Norris had been patrolling the hallways at Hogwarts for a number of years. There wasn't much   
she hadn't seen that could shock her, minus that basilisk some years back. But even she wondered  
if her eyes were playing tricks when what should she spy, but a young child, much too young for   
a first year student, scampering down the hall, peeping through any key hole she could reach.  
  
Had Mrs. Norris been human she probably would've rubbed her eyes and looked   
again. As she wasn't, all she could do was stare, confused, until the little creature chose to notice  
Her. For about a second or two, they gazed at each other from both ends of the hall. At the end   
Mrs. Norris clearly wished herself to be Anywhere else, as the curly haired imp screamed a   
delighted "KITTY!" in the manner which all felines, magical or no, knew as the signal to   
'Head for the Hills!' And so that was how poor Mrs. Norris was found running faster than   
she'd ever ran before in all her nine lives, throughout the school, with the giggly 'kitty' calling   
child close behind, by all the amused students and surprised faculty of Hogwarts school.  
  
Soon enough the dashing duo turned into a tailgating trio, as filch gave chase  
attempting to rescue his beloved cat. Curiosity, more than duty, got the Headmaster, Albus   
Dumbledore, and Transfiguration Professor and Head of Gryffindor House, Minerva McGonagall,  
following at a brisk pace, hoping to discover who the tiny intruder was. The excitement was   
quickly brought to a close, ironically, by the ever-unpleasant Master of Potions, Professor   
Severus Snape.  
  
This squelching was a task Professor Snape was all too familiar with, which was   
why he was considered quite nasty to begin with. The irony, though, was he really didn't DO   
anything to stop it, besides accidentally get in the way. Snape had just walked through one of   
the many archways of the school only to have the desperate Mrs. Norris dart between his lags,  
in an attempt to escape her pursuer. The happy toddler, though being rather petite for her age   
group, was still too big to follow through and crashed into the surprised professor.  
  
Tabitha, herself, was rather shocked as well as the impact sent her reeling backwards  
to land rather sharply on her bottom. Naturally she decided to inform everyone on just how   
upset she was by bawling her little heart out.  
  
Severus Snape blinked stupidly at the crying girl, who was also demanding he pick  
her up, not too sure what he should do about it. By the time Dumbledore and McGonagall had  
reached him, he had already had enough of the high pitched wailing and bent down to give into  
her desires to be picked up.  
  
What seemed to stun most of the observers wasn't really Snape's act of comfort,   
but the girl's welcoming of it. Normally children, especially around Snape, would be kicking  
and screaming and wanting to get as far from him as possible. Instead, she latched onto the   
front of his robes in an awkward hug, and quieted down to sniveling hiccups.  
  
"I hurt my bottom!" little Tabitha moaned against his neck, as he rubbed her   
back soothingly.  
  
"There there child," Snape sighed, wishing someone would relieve him of his   
snot nosed charge. "Its not like you're fatally wounded."  
  
"Severus!" McGonigall squawked, though Tabitha found it funny.  
  
"My word." Dumbledore twinkled, "it seems we'll be having some company   
for tea. Serverus, Minerva, if you'd be so good as to join me in my quarters." The professors   
nodded and followed the headmaster to his rooms, with the intention of finding out who the   
mysterious little girl was, and just how she got there.  
  
+  
  
Tabitha was delighted. She was currently ensconced on a sofa, stuffing one delicious cake   
treat into her mouth after another. The three adults surrounding her were sitting on the edge   
of their seats trying to be patient.  
  
"Miss? Now child Do try to pay attention." Dumbledore tried, unsuccessfully,  
to catch her eye, which was currently riveted on his familiar.  
  
"Birdy num num?" Tabby offered the phoenix, who eyed the mashed sticky   
candy in her palm with unease.  
  
McGonagall hit upon an intriguing idea, and wasted no time in sharing it with   
the others. "She seems rather taken with Animals don't you think Albus?"  
  
"Well... if you're planning on doing what I think you're planning on doing  
Minerva," he grinned, "Go for it!"  
  
Within moments where once sat a starchy teacher, now stood a smirking   
gray tabby cat. "Meow!" Little Tabitha spun around and completely forgot all about the   
sparkly red bird. Cats were much more pleasant in her opinion. She giggled and clapped   
with joy as the spry old animagus leaped into her lap and suffered through sticky fingered   
pettings and being dressed in a magiced up baby bonnet.  
  
"Hmm... seems our little visitor has a bit of a magical talent, eh Severus." Albus  
mused, "and at such a young age."  
  
"Quite." Snape replied before beginning the interrogation. "Now Child. What  
is your name!"  
  
Tabitha looked up and smiled warmly at the grim potions master. "TABBY!"   
she sang happily.  
  
"As in the cat?" Albus chuckled.  
  
"Kitty!"  
  
"Albus!"  
  
"Sorry Severus. I didn't mean to distract her." He apologized, for clearly they   
were in for a long hard interrogation session.  
  
After what seemed like forever, they soon discovered the following. Their young   
guest was indeed named 'Tabby' and she had a number of aunts, uncles, grandmothers and   
grandfathers, most which technically weren't actually related to her, what so ever. Her mother's   
name was 'Mommy' and her father's name was 'Daddy', and she arrived by following the   
bouncy thing.  
  
"But Who is your Mommy?" Dumbledore asked for the umpteenth time.  
  
"Mommy!" Tabitha assured him, for the umpteenth time.  
  
"Oh we are getting nowhere." The newly re-transformed McGonagall whined, as   
she picked off bits of cake from her person. "If only she would tell us something. Like what does   
her Daddy Do?"  
  
Tabitha was at her wits end with the funny grandpa and nice kitty lady. How was she   
supposed to say what her daddy did? He did lots of stuff, most of which they didn't seem   
interested in. He played with her, and called her his precious. He kissed her booboos better,   
when mommy couldn't. He smiled at mommy and made mommy smile back. Tabitha was quite   
tired of the silly game they wanted her to play, and she should've had had her nap hours ago.   
With a heavy sigh she dragged her weary body onto her neighbor's lap and yawned. "Daddy...   
I'm sleepy."  
  
The others were silenced with shock, but none were so startled as poor Severus   
Snape. He looked as if his eyes would pop out of his skull and land of the sleepy toddler on his lap.  
  
"Well... I guess that answers that then." Albus twinkled merrily.  
  
+  
  
"I... a... father?" Severus sputtered in shock as he held his 'daughter' close   
while she slept. He was down in the dungeons, having relocated himself and his offspring to   
his rooms after this afternoon's revelation. It was quite obvious now that his descendant   
managed to transport herself back in time. He gazed down at his child's features and marveled   
at how he hadn't known sooner. She clearly had the classic Snape looks, with her midnight   
locks, her high cheekbones, and roman nose. She was the ingenious product of himself and some  
un-known beautiful woman. She had to be a beauty as his daughter was un-mistakenly the   
most beautiful thing he'd ever seen. His Daughter. "I like the sound of that" he murmured.  
  
Tabitha groaned quietly as she slowly became awake. "Hi daddy." She mewed   
cutely giving him a small kiss on his cheek. Snape melted in an instant and gave his daughter   
his absolute devotion. Tabby grinned as she saw the familiar look on her father's face, which   
signaled to her that he couldn't ever be the slightest bit angry that she had misplaced her sitters.   
To be on the safe side though, she did what she always did, whenever she found herself on the   
verge of getting scolded. "I love you daddy!" And with that said, Severus Snape was eternally   
wrapped around her talented little fingers.  
  
+  
  
Things in the present time were not looking so sweet. Fred and George Weasly  
were at their wits end, searching desperately for their missing charge that just refused to be found.  
  
"I can't believe we lost little Tabby!" Fred moaned in despair. He and George  
had spent all of yesterday and today looking for her, with no luck.  
  
"Hermione is going to skin us." George noted as he sent off the owl informing   
the poor parents of the bad news.  
  
"You know what else is odd? I've noticed our Tabby snatcher also made off with   
our Elusive Drinking Glass."  
  
"The vile villain."  
  
The Weasly boys just sat and waited for their immanent doom to arrive. It didn't   
take too long, either.  
  
"WHAT DO YOU TWO MEAN YOU LOST TABITHA!?!" Mrs. Hermione  
Snape roared frightening the guilty pair stupid. She continued to rant and rage at them, pelting  
them with her fists and nails; her silent and impressed mate watching from the sidelines. His   
silence was soon rewarded as she turned on him, panting and growling, demanding to know   
how he could possibly remain so calm at a time such as this.  
  
"Hermia-dearest. I'm not at all together as you seem to think." A much older Severus   
replied. "You were handling them amazingly well, I just thought it prudent to wait my turn. Also   
darling, I wonder is we may have an idea as to where our precious Tabby has disappeared to."   
He mused thoughtfully. His wife eyed him curiously, and he continued. "or should I say... when."  
  
The light seemed to go on inside the panicked mother's head. "Ah... you mean? Yes!   
Of course! I'd forgotten!" she exclaimed, bestowing upon him a love filled grin. "You take care   
of 'them' the Sevvy-dear, while I ... pop off for a minute." So saying, she scurried out of sight,   
removing a thin gold necklace from her handbag and vanished.  
  
The twins gulped as they faced their best friend's husband. The wicked glint in his   
eyes and evil slant to his brow made them both evaluate him, and in comparing him to wife,  
concluded that he was far more frightening.  
  
'Snape got right scary since he became a Dad.' They thought.  
  
+  
  
Severus Snape enjoyed the time spent with his child. Whether it was watching her chase an elusive  
drinking glass about the Slytherin common room or declaring Draco Malfoy to be a very pretty   
boy, and asking him to marry her when she grew up. Mostly he enjoyed the time he spent with   
her in private, when he put her down to sleep at last. Tucking her into his own bed, he wondered   
again who had mothered such a fantastic creature and how soon he could find her and get started   
on what must be a wonderful life.  
  
He was so wrapped up in watching his own flesh and blood sleep, that he missed   
hearing the door to his chambers open and a strangely familiar female walk through. The woman   
smiled at the charming picture presented to her. It almost broke her heart to have to interfere, but   
she desperately missed her baby.  
  
"Hullo." She breathed causing Snape to jump and turn to look at her.  
  
"What? You?" Snape gawked at the mother of his child joined him. "Miss. Granger?"  
  
"Nope. It's Mrs. Snape these days Severus." She smiled saucily at him.  
  
"I suppose you've come to take her back then haven't you." He said rather glumly,   
"I was expecting someone... but.. I didn't think it'd be so soon."  
  
Hermione nodded and bent over to pick up her dreaming princess. "It's passed   
time she was home."  
  
Snape nodded in kind as he walked her to the door. She stopped before leaving   
to look at him. Smiling, kinder this time, she lightly kissed his soft dry lips and whispered, "You  
are a wonderful man, Severus Snape, and an even more magnificent husband and father." Snape  
smiled, for probably the first time since the thought of Tabby's departure entered into his mind.   
Hermione, his future wife, walked away, and he kept his smile on, through his sleep and through   
his breakfast too, which startled all the residents at Hogwarts. The only thing he would tell his peers   
was that he had a lot to look forward to, whenever they asked about his deviation from his normal   
scowl. Many students later talked about how, though Professor Snape was happy, he was still the   
same old biased slimy git.  
  
+  
  
Mrs. Snape sighed deeply as she sank into the spot next to her love. She leaned upon   
her equally tired Mr. Snape and entwined his fingers with hers. "So dearest... I've been meaning to   
ask. How did you deal with Fred and George?" she asked him softly.  
  
"One shouldn't tell all his secrets love," he murmured mischievously, "But I will say that  
since you frighten the hell out of them, I just thought it best to frighten it back into them. That and  
from this day forth all Weaslys will be responsible babysitters till the day they die."  
  
Hermione managed a small laugh before she closed her eyes and fell into sleep. Her  
mate managed to arrange the blankets comfortably over them, before he to joined her, thinking   
'Peace can be found in many places and things, especially in sleep.'  
  
Fin 


End file.
